Three passengers have died and three other individuals are being treated amid a suspected hantavirus outbreak aboard a cruise ship within the Atlantic Ocean, health officials said.
The rodent-borne illness was confirmed in a single case and is suspected in five others, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in an announcement Sunday.
The WHO said detailed investigations aboard the MV Hondius ship, travelling from Argentina to Cape Verde, are ongoing, including further laboratory testing and epidemiological investigations. The virus can be being sequenced.
Two of the individuals who died were identified as a Dutch couple, a person aged 70 and a lady aged 69.
The person died on arrival on the island of St. Helena. The lady, who also became sick on board, was evacuated to South Africa, where she died in a Johannesburg hospital, South African Health Ministry spokesperson Foster Mohale said in an announcement to Global News.
“In our view, there is no such thing as a need for the general public to panic because only two patients from the cruise ship have been inside our borders. The World Health Organization is coordinating a multi-country response with all affected islands and countries to contain further spread of the disease,” Mohale added.
“On 27 April, one other passenger became seriously sick and was medically evacuated to South Africa. This person is currently being treated within the intensive care unit in Johannesburg and is in a critical but stable condition. This passenger is of British nationality. A variant of hantavirus has been identified on this patient,” Oceanwide Expeditions, the Dutch company that operates the cruise ship, said in a press release.
“On 2 May, one other passenger on board died. The cause has not yet been established. This passenger was of German nationality.”
As well as, two crew members are currently on board the ship with acute respiratory symptoms, one mild and one severe, the corporate said.
“Each require urgent medical care. These crew members are of British and Dutch nationality. At the moment, no other individuals with symptoms have been identified,” the corporate added.
Global News has reached out to Oceanwide Expeditions for further comment, but has not received a response.
South Africa’s Department of Health said the ship had left Argentina around three weeks ago for a cruise that included visits to Antarctica, the Falkland Islands and other stops. It was resulting from ultimately head to Spain’s Canary Islands on the opposite side of the Atlantic.
“Oceanwide Expeditions remains to be coping with a serious medical situation on board the m/v Hondius, which is currently off the coast of Cape Verde,” Oceanwide Expeditions said within the press release. “The vessel stays off the coast of Cape Verde. There are 149 people on board, representing 23 different nationalities.
“The disembarkation of passengers, medical evacuation and medical screening require permission from, and coordination with, the local health authorities. Local health authorities have visited the vessel and assessed the situation. The medical transfer of the 2 sick individuals on board has not yet taken place. Oceanwide Expeditions is working closely with local and international authorities, including the WHO, the RIVM, relevant embassies and the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.”
Strict precautionary measures are in place on board, including isolation measures, hygiene protocols and medical monitoring. All passengers have been informed and are being supported, the corporate added.
Hantavirus is principally spread by contact with rodents or their urine, saliva or droppings, particularly when the fabric is disturbed and becomes airborne, posing a risk of inhalation, in keeping with the federal government of Canada.
Individuals are typically exposed to hantavirus around their homes, cabins or sheds, especially when cleansing out enclosed spaces with little ventilation or exploring areas where there are mouse droppings.
Get each day National news
Get each day Canada news delivered to your inbox so you may never miss the day’s top stories.
People also can get the virus from infected mice, rats and other rodents.
“Because of this, it’s best to avoid close contact with rodents in Canada and abroad,” the Canadian government notes.
The WHO says that while it rarely happens, hantaviruses also can spread directly between people.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) began tracking the virus after a 1993 outbreak within the 4 Corners region — the realm where Arizona, Colorado, Latest Mexico and Utah meet.
Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome became a nationally notifiable disease in 1995 and is now reported through the National Notifiable Disease Surveillance System when fever is present in a patient with laboratory-confirmed evidence of hantavirus infection, in keeping with the CDC.
An infection can rapidly progress and grow to be life-threatening. Symptoms of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome normally show between one and eight weeks after contact with an infected rodent. Because the infection progresses, patients might experience tightness within the chest because the lungs fill with fluid.
The opposite syndrome attributable to hantavirus — hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome — normally develops inside per week or two after exposure.
Death rates vary based on which hantavirus causes the illness. Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome is fatal in about 35 per cent of individuals infected, while the death rate for hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome varies from one per cent to fifteen per cent of patients, in keeping with the CDC.
There is no such thing as a specific treatment or cure, but early medical attention can increase the prospect of survival.
The most effective technique to avoid the germ is to reduce contact with rodents and their droppings. Use protective gloves and a bleach solution for cleansing up rodent droppings. Public health experts caution against sweeping or vacuuming, which may cause virus particles to get into the air.
As of the top of 2023, 890 cases of hantavirus disease had been reported in the USA since surveillance began in 1993.
Since 1989, there have been 109 confirmed cases and 27 deaths in Canada resulting from a hantavirus infection, the federal government of Canada reports.
What the World Health Organization says
The WHO released an announcement on Sunday saying it’s “aware of and supporting a public health event involving a cruise vessel sailing within the Atlantic Ocean.”
“Up to now, one case of hantavirus infection has been laboratory confirmed, and there are five additional suspected cases. Of the six individuals, three have died and one is currently in intensive care in South Africa,” the WHO said.
Detailed investigations are ongoing, including further laboratory testing and epidemiological investigations, the organization said.
“Medical care and support are being provided to passengers and crew. Sequencing of the virus can be ongoing,” the statement added.
“Hantavirus infections are typically linked to environmental exposure (exposure to infected rodents’ urine and faeces). While rare, hantavirus may spread between people, and might result in severe respiratory illness and requires careful patient monitoring, support and response.
“WHO is facilitating coordination between Member States and the Ship’s operators for medical evacuation of two symptomatic passengers, in addition to full public health risk assessment and support to the remaining passengers on board. WHO is grateful for the rapid actions and coordination.”
The WHO has informed National Focus Points in keeping with international health regulations and a disease outbreak news update for the general public might be issued.
Other known cases of hantavirus
Hantavirus made headlines last yr after the deaths of Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, in February.
Arakawa died in February 2025 of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, investigators have said. Hackman is believed to have died about per week later of heart disease, with complications from Alzheimer’s disease.
The partially mummified stays of Hackman, 95, and Arakawa, 65, were present in their Santa Fe, N.M., home Feb. 26, when maintenance and security staff arrived at the home and alerted police.
An environmental assessment of the property by state health personnel found rodent feces in three garages and two smaller guest homes, together with live traps on the property. There was no evidence of rodent activity contained in the home.
In keeping with the lengthy investigation report, a review of Arakawa’s computer showed she was actively researching medical conditions related to COVID-19 and flu-like symptoms between Feb. 8 and the morning of Feb. 12. The searches included questions on whether COVID-19 could cause dizziness or nosebleeds. She also ordered oxygen canisters from Amazon for “respiratory support.”
“This data suggests that Betsy was actively researching medical conditions related to COVID-19 and flu-like symptoms in the times leading as much as her death,” the report stated.
On March 25, authorities released body camera footage from outside the Hackman home and officers were seen arriving on the scene for the primary time and speaking with two maintenance staff who alerted authorities after discovering a body lying face down through a window.
“Something isn’t right. Something isn’t right,” one in every of the employees said to officers within the footage.
“My concern is a carbon monoxide issue,” an officer said after searching through the window of the house.
Authorities soon determined there have been no leaks that might have been fatal, further fuelling a mystery that captured the general public’s attention.
In a previous statement, Hackman’s daughters, Elizabeth and Leslie, and granddaughter Annie said, “He was loved and admired by thousands and thousands world wide for his sensible acting profession, but to us he was all the time just Dad and Grandpa. We are going to miss him sorely and are devastated by the loss.”
— with files from The Associated Press